Rhymes Media Group, in keeping with our commitment to advocacy journalism, begins, today, the series: RMG's Anti-Racism 101.
Rhymes Media Group began, and continues, as a mechanism for persuasion for those who are willing to be persuaded. In other words, we are not looking for a show of hands - popular consensus is one of the WORSE metrics for determining what's true.
It can be hard and confusing, at times, to understand the ins and outs of prejudice, discrimination, racism & white privilege, so we hope that this short, concise outline helps in that understanding. When you look at the various definitions of white privilege, what you see is the various definitions of privilege with WHITE added to them.
1. Prejudice- simply means to pre-judge; to judge someone, something or some situation without proper knowledge or insight
2. Discrimination- to make a difference in treatment or favor dependent upon superficial, prejudicial or inequitable factors (gender, sexual orientation, ethnic, age etc.)
3. Stereotypes - Often prejudicial generalizations about particular groups of people
4. Racism - (simple definition: prejudice + power = racism) is any action, attitude or practice (whether conscious or unconscious), that subordinates an individual or group based on skin color or ethnicity. It can be enacted individually, culturally, systemically or institutionally:
a. Individual Racism - manifests itself in an individual's attitudes and behaviors and is easiest to identify
b. Systemic Racism - consists of policies and practices of organizations, which directly or indirectly operate to sustain the advantages of certain "social races" and at he same time denying the same access to those advantages to "other social races" (people of color). This type of racism is more difficult to address because it is implicit in the policies of organizations and is extremely, if not absolutely, pervasive.
c. Institutional Racism - procedures, patterns and practices in all walks of life, i.e. education, housing, business, employment, professional organizations, religion, media etc. , whose effect is to perpetuate and maintain the power, influence and well-being of one group over other groups. Although more subtle than individual racism, it is more destructive to humanity.
d. Cultural Racism- is the basis all the other forms of racism, as is its value system which is embedded in a society which allows and supports discriminatory attitudes and actions based on erroneous perceptions of ethnic/racial differences, cultural superiority and inferiority.
5. White Privilege - 1. a. A right, advantage or immunity granted to or enjoyed by white persons beyond the common advantage of all others; an exemption in many particular cases from certain burdens or liabilities.
b. A special advantage or benefit of white persons; with reference to divine dispensations, natural advantages, gifts of fortune, genetic endowments, social relations, etc.
2. A privileged position; the possession of an advantage white persons enjoy over non-white persons.
3. a. The special right or immunity attaching to white persons as a social relation; prerogative. b. display of white privilege, a social expression of a white person or persons demanding to be treated as a member or members of the socially privileged class.
4. a. To invest white persons with a privilege or privileges; to grant to white persons a particular right or immunity; to benefit or favor specially white persons; to invest. b. To avail oneself of a privilege owing to one as a white person
5. To authorize or license of white person or persons what is forbidden or wrong for non-whites; to justify, excuse.
6. To give to white persons special freedom or immunity from some liability or burden to which non-white persons are subject; to exempt.